Advancement in 116
Here are the requirements Troop 116 will cover for each Scout to advance from Scout through Tenderfoot and Second Class to First Class
Scout advancement occurs in two phases: the lower ranks (from Scout through First Class), and the higher ranks (Star, Life, and Eagle).
In brief: The "lower ranks" takes the younger or newer kids through a progression of Scouty skills—camping, first aid, outdoors skills, citizenship, camp cooking, community service, and, yes, knots. By the time they finish and have earned First Class, they have all the basic Scouting skills and it's time to become leaders.
The "higher ranks" are for those kids who want to advance beyond. Instead of completing checklists of basic skills, they now must provide community service, serve as leaders in the troop, and earn merit badges (which involve more in-depth training on those basic Scouting skills plus on more than 100 topics of interest, from trades to academics to sheer fun).
We plan our meetings and trips with all this in mind, and any Scout who attends regular meetings and goes on the majority of trips will find that, without even trying, they will have completed the majority of these lower rank requirements within 18 months to two years.
There are, however, some lower ranks requirements we simply can't cover within the troop, mostly because they involve things to do at home and with parents/guardians, or some independent research. We have created a handy list of all of those requirements here.